Last off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $2.5 million contract in free agency. In the end, it is fair to say that the Penguins got good value in this move, as Grzelcyk fit in nicely with the Metropolitan Division club.
In 82 games with the Penguins this past season, Grzelcyk scored a goal and hit new career highs with 39 assists and 40 points. With numbers like these, the Charlestown, Massachusetts native certainly gave the Penguins solid offense from the point. He was also noticeably impactful on the power play, as he finished the year with a career-high 15 power-play points.
However, even after putting together the best offensive season of his nine-year NHL career in 2024-25, Grzelcyk remains an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this off-season. Given the season he had with the Penguins in 2024-25, should Pittsburgh consider reuniting with him?
If the Penguins signed Grzelcyk, he would have the potential to upgrade their left side, while also giving them another clear option for their power play. The Penguins also have over $13 million of cap space, so they could afford to bring back Grzelcyk easily.
Yet, at the same time, the Penguins also already have plenty of left-shot defensemen signed for next season. They signed blueliners like Parker Wotherspoon and Alexander Alexeyev in free agency this year and have other left-shot defensemen like Owen Pickering, Ryan Graves, and Ryan Shea to work with. This is where fitting in Grzelcyk could be a challenge, especially when noting that they also have four NHL-caliber right-shot defensemen signed, too.
Nevertheless, it is going to be interesting to see where Grzelcyk ends up landing this off-season. Given the campaign he had, he should be able to at least land a professional tryout (PTO) from an NHL club.
Penguins New Goalie Is Big Breakout CandidateThe Pittsburgh Penguins added several new players to their roster this off-season. Perhaps the most intriguing of the bunch is goaltender Arturs Silovs.
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